Labour MP Dover Samuels will be stepping down at the next election, making way for "new blood". I can't say I'm particularly sorry to see him go. Samuels is a time-server whose most memorable contribution to New Zealand politics in 12 years was pissing in his own hat. Still, at least he wasn't actively malignant, which is more than can be said for some of his Parliamentary colleagues.
I have a softer spot for Paul Swain, who also announced his retirement yesterday. Whatever I think of his politics (and he was one of Labour's more consevative MPs), I have to respect a guy who decided to quit Cabinet so he could have better work-life balance and spend more time with his kids. If only we had more MPs who truly understood the value of slack.
